Assemblage artist Flavia Gilmore has an interesting way of describing herself.

“I’m that crazy lady who collects junk and puts it together,” she said.

But Gilmore’s work is far from crazy. Her three-dimensional assemblages have built her an impressive career, including two solo shows at the Earl and Birdie Taylor Branch Library Gallery in Pacific Beach and a just-opened show at the Oceanside Museum of Art.

Gilmore works with found objects, usually made of wood or metal, to create something abstract. She particularly likes to use assemblage to show the natural beauty of decay, especially in how it reflects on consumerism and how long objects last in a society that prizes plastic.

“Working with found objects just sort of happened,” explained Gilmore, a San Marcos resident. “I started out painting, then moved to collage. I started adding other things than paper and before I knew it, I was doing assemblage.

“I like putting things together. I like shapes. I’m always going to salvage yards or thrift stores and looking for things that people wouldn’t buy. I have 800 square feet of stuff in my studio. I’m lucky to have such a large inventory. But I’m always looking for more, especially when I start working on a piece.”

The OMA exhibition — “Flavia Gilmore: Paper, Wood, Metal” — takes a look at Gilmore’s work over the past 20 years. It focuses on her ability to makes surprising juxtapositions of everyday items in a way that’s surprising. One material she rarely uses anymore is plastic.

“I used to use plastic, but over the years I’ve gone back and looked at pieces and the plastic had deteriorated,” she said. “That’s why I decided not to use it anymore. I won’t even pick it up.”

Gilmore works by putting objects together, taking them apart and continuing the process until she feels an art piece begin to take shape.

“Sometimes an object works, and sometimes I take it out,” she said. “Sometimes I leave it unpainted, but most often I paint the finished piece. It unifies the work.”

Objects from her younger days, from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, end up in her work. Also informing her work is her family’s cultural background. Gilmore was born in Italy, but her family moved to Massachusetts when she was very young.

“Most people’s background do influence their work, even at an unconscious level,” she said. “You can’t help who you are.”

By putting part of herself in her work, Gilmore is able to often strike a chord with viewers. That’s part of the draw of assemblage for her.

“I’m happy if people find something they can relate to in their own lives,” she said. “And they usually do. They often tell me what my work reminds them of. That’s my reward. I feel like I’m making a connection, and I like that idea.”